30 The Twenty-third General Meeting. 
House of Commons as Mr. Parker did while referring to the im- 
portant question of funds. Last year, when the question to which 
Mr. Parker alluded, came before the House, the Government were 
newer in office than they were now, and they had so many pressing 
matters to consider that they had not time to devote particular 
attention to the subject. When the matter afterwards came before 
the House most of the Cabinet Ministers were absent, and the 
excellent Secretary of the Treasury was left with general orders that 
the bill was not one that they could support. But so strong was 
the feeling on the subject that no less than nine Conservative mem- 
bers got up one after the other and gave it a hearty and enthusiastic 
support. He was unfortunate this year in not getting a good place 
for his bill, for the progress having been so slow he was precluded 
from bringing it forward till late. But when he brought it in again 
he should have the support of a great many members, and he had 
reason to hope that it would pass next session. He was satisfied, 
at any rate, of being able to get a good discussion of the details of 
the measure, and if his own bill was not carried, they had good 
reason to hope that something of the kind they wanted would be 
done, and that the Government would favor some bill which would 
to a great extent meet the objects they had in view. 
The proceedings at the dinner were terminated by the toast of 
“the ladies,’ who honoured the meeting throughout with their 
presence in considerable numbers ; and the company then adjourned 
to the Blackmore Museum for 
THE CONVERSAZIONE, 
where they were hospitably entertained with tea, coffee, and other 
refreshments, by the liberality of the owners; and where the un- 
rivalled collection of implements of primitive races was examined, 
not for the first time, by the Members of the Society ; but who 
would indeed find many visits insufficient to exhaust the objects of 
interest deposited there. Soon after eight, the President took the 
chair, when the following papers and addresses were successively 
given, but whose titles only are mentioned, as it is hoped they will 
all appear 2m extenso in the pages of the Magazine: An address “On 
